Nine Syrian refugees in Manchester devoted their time on 29 December to help with flood prevention efforts in Littleborough near Rochdale. Wearing their Rethink Rebuild Society vests, they shovelled sand into sandbags which were then taken by local families to be used to protect their homes. Their involvement has been reported in the press.

Speaking on BBC Radio Kent on 3 December, we provided an overview of the Syrian conflict and how we reached the present situation. We emphasised that the Assad regime's brutal response to peaceful protests precipitated into a much larger conflict.

As Syrians gave their views to the BBC in response to the vote in Parliament to extend anti-ISIS airstrikes to Syria, we stressed that any threat that ISIS poses to the UK is ultimately attributable to the Assad regime.

In the lead up to the government vote on whether or not to bomb Syria, Rethink Rebuild were interviewed by BBC Breakfast on 2 December to discuss the alternative options to UK military airstrikes. Alternatives included a no-bombing zone to protect civilians from indiscriminate air attacks, which are the root cause of the Syrian conflict.

About RR

Rethink Rebuild Society (RR) is a Manchester-based charity that works towards improving the lives of refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants, in particular but not exclusively Syrians in the UK, helping them become positively established within the British society.